1400 Vancouver Street

LOCATION:Victoria, British Columbia

PROJECT:Mixed-Use; high-rise

SIZE:162,626 SF

SERVICES PROVIDED:Master Planning and Architecture

eastern frontage will serve as its most iconic architectural element. The angled 15-storey design –leaning to the east from its footprint on land formerly occupied by the McCall Brothers Funeral Home, will be an architectural first for Victoria where a building as prominent as the 50-metre tall high-rise will literally hover over its foundation and an adjacent 1960’s-era funeral chapel designed by famed Victoria architect John Di Castri.

The building design stemmed from a desire to see the chapel retained and repurposed, given the role it has served in the community, and the importance of this building to Victoria's architectural heritage. The tower's shape and architectural elements are meant to reflect the design of the chapel while its massing reclaims lost density at the base through greater density on the upper floors.

Alongside its unique architectural presence, the building's roof is likely to include a solar panel installation as an eco-friendly element. The tower's solar panel installation would be a first at its scale for a modern building in the region and one of the first such installations on Vancouver Island.